Hummingbird flies away on vacation

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know that I am taking a vacation for 10 days (for my birthday - off to Cancun, Mexico) so you can still make purchases from my online shop

at - www.HummingbirdMiniature.etsy.com

but items will not be shipped until March 3rd at the earliest. (Anything already sold has been shipped already, so don't worry about that). I'll be answering emails at my shop sporadically. :)

Stay tuned as there'll be a super duper sale when I'm back and I'm also doing a free-to-enter competition as well!
Bye for now, Caroline xXx

Happy Birthday... to me!

It's not until the 23rd February, but it's coming up, and I am turning 30!!! So it's a big one and I am so excited as my boyfriend is taking me on a special holiday, and I just can't wait! We were going to do something simple like Paris or Venice, but heck, it is my 30th so he's taking me somewhere a bit more exotic.... Cancun, Mexico!! It's something like a 16 hour flight for me I think, but I don't mind at all. We're going to go snorkeling and see the tropical fishes, swimming with dolphins, visiting Mayan pyramids and enjoying warm weather (can't wait as it's so freezing here in Oxfordshire!)

So, yesterday I made myself a cake (lame?!) :) And here it is! It's three tiers, lots of colour and teeny tiny candles.





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My Workspace... Easter Bunnies for 2012!

Already started making my new Easter 2012 Range and here are a few snaps I just took today of some of my special new fluffy bunnies! Each one takes hours to make - all by hand, and finished with a silk bow. They'll be listed at my online shop when I'm back from my vacation. :)





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Happy Valentine's Day

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.

~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

Yes, as Ophelia said in Hamlet, tomorrow's the time for romance...

Being English, I couldn't let St Valentine's Day pass without acknowledging it with some special new (occasionally pink or heart-themed) miniatures, as seen in the image above. You can find these Valentine's items at my online shop.
You see we Brits love to celebrate this day; just under half the population of the UK will be receiving cards or flowers tomorrow (apparently) and it all goes back to Geoffrey Chaucer who first associated the saint's day with romance in the Middle Ages.

Hope you all have wonderful days. Stay tuned (as I mentioned in my last post) as I am going to do a fun new free-to-enter competition very soon with a fabulous mini to be won. ;)











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Pastries from Paris

Yes, it's still all about Paris whilst we're in the month of lurve! I was actually going to pop over to Paris for my birthday (which is coming in 1.5 weeks!) but instead my boyfriend is taking me to Cancun, Mexico!
But anyway, I just love, love, love Ladurée pastries, especially the 'religieuse' pastries. For those of you that are not sure what this is, it's a pastry made of two "choux pastry" pieces filled with custard. They come in different flavours and are iced with different colours.
The name 'Religieuse' actually means 'nun', because the top pastry ball is supposed to represent the nun's head and the bottom one is her body. Interesting right?!

So I've listed 11 kinds of religieuses at my online shop with lots of flavours copied from Ladurée. I made them as detailed and as realistic as I could, no molds used of course, each one made by hand in 1:12 scale.

Which is your favorite flavor? Rose, blackcurrant, chocolate, strawberry, purple, caramel, pistachio, lilac, lemon, mint or orange?! :)

Oh, and stay tuned, competition give-away coming up soon...

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Piccadilly Patisserie and Cakes

Come inside and take a look around....!
Just finished making my one inch scale miniature model of a trendy London cake shop - 'Piccadilly Patisserie & Cakes'. It was inspired by some of the fabulous sweet eateries around London.
I took these photos last week when we got lots of gorgeous bright sunshine. Good job I didn't wait as it's actually snowing today here in Turville, England! :(

Note the bright bold colours... I'm launching a new range of cakes and pastries soon as part of a new POP ART Collection! So stay tuned ;)

Here's a few snaps. If you'd like to see more then click HERE to be taken to my Flickr Gallery.







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Charlotte Cakes

Charlotte Cakes are so cool looking, aren't they?! If you actually haven't heard of a Charlotte cake (also known as a Charlotte Russe) then I'll fill you in. Popular across Europe, Charlotte cakes are made with custard and fruit (and sometimes a mousse filling) and surrounded by a circle of ladyfinger sponge biscuits or sweetened stale bread.

I always assumed it was an English dish because it has been suggsted that these cakes were named after Queen Charlotte (1744–1818), the wife of George III. That or the name comes from the mediaeval English word given to dishes made of custard which is 'charlyt'.
However, it seems that popular opinion sways towards the theory that this desert cake was created by an 18th century French chef. Who knows?! I have decided not to include it as part of either my 'Best of British' or my 'Fabulously French' ranges because of this ambiguity!

Anyway, I hope you like them. One is a classic strawberry design which I stole from a Waitrose cooking magazine and the 'Blush Pink' design is something I created with Valentine's Day in mind. Hence the chocolate heart. :) Available at my online shop now.









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Strawberry Profiteroles for your Valentine!

This is a tower of sugared profiteroles with pink icing and strawberries. Made especially for Valentine's Day 2012. A great center piece for your patisserie window or grand dining room table!

Each profiterole was rolled in 'sugar' before being decorated. Took me ages... that's why I only made one ;) Find it here at my online shop

The cake stand was handmade by a very talented artisan, and if you haven't discovered his shop yet then you must do now (click here to go directly to his shop).







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Duchess Rose Cake for Valentine's Day

Just started listing some of my new Valentine's Day Range at my online shop... more to come tomorrow. :) If you're keen to get something rushed out to you then get your orders in by midnight tomorrow (Friday) as I'm taking lots of orders to the post office Sat morning. :)

My new Duchess Rose Cake was created especially for Valentine's 2012 and is a Limited Edition. It has 5 layers of different shades of pink sponge sandwiched with white icing and then coated in white icing and buttery pink frosting. Finished with piped white icing, sugar rose, candy hearts and pink pearls. Buy it here

Made in the British 'Regency' style and fit for any Queen or Duchess! Part of my Best of British Collection.









Pretty cupcakes here too...

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